A Tribute to the Training Trailer

For a lot of us, the most exciting moment of our CPST course was getting a look inside the training trailer. For many coalitions and instructors, this magical rolling box is home to a wide variety of car seats. Some were involved in a crash, then donated later, others were donated new by generous manufacturers, still others might have been removed from a vehicle (and replaced with a new one) during a seat check event.

No matter how these seats arrived at the trailer, they serve one goal: to help new CPSTs get their hands on the widest possible variety of car seats and boosters so when they go back out into the world, they can teach caregivers to use those seats properly.

Tech Update course

The seats emerge for a couple of events: a full CPST course and a shorter Tech Update class. Both classes require technicians to be hands on, first meeting the seats inside a classroom (best classroom ever as far as we’re concerned!), then installing the seats in a variety of vehicles, and learning about the safest options for children as they grow.

Our friends at Safe Kids Ventura County recently sorted through their trailer to prepare for the Tech Update course and were kind enough to share some photos of their day with us. We will not share the picture of the giant spider that they encountered. You are welcome.

Training trailer contents

Their day started by emptying the contents of the trailer and taking a good look at the variety of car seats. Many of the seats inside are still in production so they’re likely to roll into a seat check event. New CPSTs will definitely benefit from spending a little time with the more common seats found inside the training trailer.

Many coalitions hang on to expired seats because they also tend to come into seat check events. Coalitions that have the funds to provide free or low cost car seats have the luxury of removing those seats and working with caregivers to provide a replacement on the spot.

Training trailer seat discard pile

During this recent trailer inventory, a few seats were discarded. While many of us like to hang on to every car seat that we meet just in case we need it for something one day, the trailer only has a finite amount of space and some seats had to be discarded.

Every seat has a spot in the well-packed trailer

Once the seats were sorted, inventoried, and a few discarded, it was time to repack the trailer. Every remaining seat has a place. At this point, the tireless instructors are ready for their next Tech Update or CPST training course!

To celebrate CPST Month May 2017, Our friends at Safety1st are offering an Incognito for one of our lucky readers! This booster seat is a great option for older kids who don’t yet fit properly in the vehicle seat belt. Enter below for your chance to win, read our terms and conditions before you enter!a Rafflecopter giveaway

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